Harry Del Reeks (May 23, 1920 – January 15, 1982) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

landscape painter Landscape painting, also known as landscape art, is the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, especially where the main subject is a wide view—with its elements arranged into a coherent compos ...

and combat artist for the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

Early life and work

Harry Reeks was born in

Covington, Louisiana Covington is a city in, and the parish seat of, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 11,564 at the 2020 United States census. It is located at a fork of the Bogue Falaya and the Tchefuncte River. Covington is part of ...

. His father, John F. Reeks, was an artist. Harry Reeks would study under his father, a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

artist named Jose Mass, and Charles Reinike. As a young artist, he lived in the

French Quarter The French Quarter, also known as the , is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. After New Orleans (french: La Nouvelle-Orléans) was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city developed around the ("Old Squ ...

and painted scenes of the nightlife of

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. He relocated to

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

in 1939.

Military career

Reeks was a combat artist for the

. He was at the

Battle of Iwo Jima The Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February – 26 March 1945) was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and United States Navy (USN) landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJ ...

, arriving with the invasion force. He was there for 30 days and was injured twice during the battle. Reeks also documented the

New Georgia Campaign The New Georgia campaign was a series of land and naval battles of the Pacific campaign of World War II between Allied forces and the Empire of Japan. It was part of Operation Cartwheel, the Allied strategy in the South Pacific to isolate the ...

, the

Bougainville Campaign The Bougainville campaign was a series of land and naval battles of the Pacific campaign of World War II between Allied forces and the Empire of Japan, named after the island of Bougainville. It was part of Operation Cartwheel, the Allied ...

, the

Battle of Saipan The Battle of Saipan was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought on the island of Saipan in the Mariana Islands from 15 June to 9 July 1944 as part of Operation Forager. It has been referred to as the "Pacific D-Day" with th ...

, and the Battle of Guam. After his service, he returned to California.

After military service

Back in California, Reeks painted the sights and landscapes of

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

. He was visiting

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

and met Chloe Baker, who was in the

United States Marine Corps Reserve The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or MFR), also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. It is the largest command, by assigned pe ...

. They married in Hawaii and lived in California, followed by Texas. In 1954 they moved to

Biloxi, Mississippi Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in and one of two county seats of Harrison County, Mississippi, United States (the other being the adjacent city of Gulfport). The 2010 United States Census recorded the population as 44,054 and in 2019 the estimated popu ...

. He worked for a

public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. P ...

firm and did interviews with

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

. He was a portrait artist for a

resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that tries to provide most of a vacationer's wants, such as food, drink, swimming, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping, on the premises. The term ''resort ...

. Reeks also became a

realtor A real estate agent or real estate broker is a person who represents sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and agen ...

and worked in

Gulf Hills, Mississippi Gulf Hills is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Pascagoula Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 8,526 at the 2020 census, up from 7,144 at t ...

. Reeks started his own real estate company in 1967. He also worked for Spurgeon Pickering doing

land development Land development is the alteration of landscape in any number of ways such as: * Changing landforms from a natural or semi-natural state for a purpose such as agriculture or housing * Subdividing real estate into lots, typically for the purpose ...

and was the

foreman __NOTOC__ A foreman, forewoman or foreperson is a supervisor, often in a manual trade or industry. Foreman may specifically refer to: *Construction foreman, the worker or tradesman who is in charge of a construction crew * Jury foreman, a head j ...

for the development of

Gulf Park Estates, Mississippi Gulf Park Estates is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located south of Ocean Springs in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Pascagoula Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,719 ...

Legacy

The work of Reeks is held in the collections of the Anne S.K. Brown Military Collection at the

John Hay Library The John Hay Library (known colloquially as the Hay) is the second oldest library on the campus of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is located on Prospect Street opposite the Van Wickle Gates. After its construction ...

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

and the

Parris Island Museum The Parris Island Museum is located at Building 111, Panama Street, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in Beaufort, South Carolina, United States. The museum consists of a facility and includes exhibits of the history of the United States M ...

. He also became a sculptor, following in the footsteps of his father, who was also a sculptor. His sculptures are held in the collection of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Biloxi The Diocese of Biloxi is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church that encompasses 17 counties in south Mississippi. It was erected on March 1, 1977, when it was split from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jackson. Th ...

. Sculptural works include '' Sam Dale Monument'' in

Daleville, Mississippi Daleville is an unincorporated community along Mississippi Highway 39 in North Lauderdale County, Mississippi, United States. It has a post office with the ZIP code 39326. The settlement is named for Samuel Dale, Lauderdale County's first repre ...

and the '' Golden Fisherman'' in

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reeks, Harry 1920 births 1982 deaths American real estate brokers American landscape painters United States Marines United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II People from Covington, Louisiana People from Biloxi, Mississippi Battle of Iwo Jima World War II artists American war artists 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American male artists American male sculptors 20th-century American businesspeople Sculptors from Mississippi